| The Federal Trade Commission is getting more and more reports about scammers pretending to be from the Social Security Administration who are trying to get your Social Security number and, of course, your money. In fact, in the first six months of this year, people filed 73,000 reports about Social Security fraud, according to the FTC, with losses totaling $17 million.
The scams vary. In one version, the caller says your Social Security number has been linked to a crime involving drugs or sending money out of the country illegally. He then says your Social has been blocked — but he might ask you for a fee to reactivate it, or to get a new number. And he will ask you to confirm your Social Security number. In another scam, he says that somebody used your Social Security number to apply for credit cards, and you could lose your benefits. Or you are warned that your bank account is about to be seized, that you need to withdraw your money, and that he'll tell you how to keep it safe and needs your Social Security number to fix the problem.
People, come on, these are all scams. Here's what you need to know to protect yourself:
Social Security employees will occasionally contact you by telephone or mail for business purposes if you have ongoing business with the agency. However, Social Security employees will not do any of the following things: Tell you that your Social Security number has been suspended; contact you to demand an immediate payment; ask you for credit or debit card numbers over the phone; require a specific means of debt repayment, like a prepaid debit card, a retail gift card, or cash; demand that you pay a Social Security debt without the ability to appeal the amount you owe, or promise a Social Security benefit approval, or increase, in exchange for information or money.
Social Security employees will never threaten you. If there's a problem with your Social Security record, SSA will mail you a letter. If the agency needs you to submit payments, it will provide instructions in the letter, including options to make those payments. SSA officials say if you believe a call is from a scammer, hang up and call SSA's main number for assistance: (800) 772-1213 and (800) 325-0778.
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